Thursday, May18, 2017 • APG News A5

Belair Stable races into history BowieMuseum home of hall of fame By Lauren Finnegan APG News

On Saturday,May 20, willhostthe PreaknessStakes. The race,inits 142nd year,isthe second of three contestsknown as TheTriple Crown. TheTripleCrown title goes to thehorse thatwins theKentucky DerbyinLouisville, the in Baltimore, and the in Elmont, NewYork.Since 1919,only12horseshaveachievedthat dream of every owner. Unbeknownsttomany, twoofthe 12 camefromthe same small stud farmin Bowie, Maryland, nowknown as theBelair Mansion and Stable Museum. Visitors to the museumcan get aglimpse of lifeduringthe1900s when horse breeder William Woodward, nowaninductee into the National Racing Hall of Fame,ran a dynasty of horses that took hold of the racing world. The BelairMansion wasfirstbuilt in1745 by Maryland Governor and his wife Anne Tasker Ogle.According to an article by former curatorofhistoric properties and museums, CityofBowie, Samantha Dorsey,the residence func- tioned as asummerhome, profitable tobacco plantationand stud farm. The Ogles’ were responsible for bringing twoofthe earliestthoroughbreds ever importedtothe U.S. to Belair in 1747. Ogle’sbrother-in-lawBenjamin Tasker Jr., wasresponsiblefor acquiring Selima for the stud-acolonial champion from Eng- land. Selimawould become the foundation mareofthe American Thoroughbred descendants,and aplaque depictingher likeness and commissionedbyWoodward is one of theitems featured in the museum. The stud farm wasfamous for its breeding until1871whenitchanged hands and eventually fellintodisrepair. DIPAOLA/CHECK WITH BALTIMORE SUN PHOTO The residence waspurchased in 1898 by , riden by , afterwinning the SaratogaGold Cup on August30, 1930.Gallant Fox, owned by was James T. Woodward,the president of said to be owner William Woodward’sfavoritehorse. HanoverNational Bank,who added addi- tions to the residence and fullyrestored it. Other champion horses to come out of Upon his deathin1910,Woodward’s Belairinclude,,named U.S. Horse nephew,William Woodward, Sr., thenthe of the Year in 1936,,the directorofHanoverNational Bank,was KentuckyDerby and BelmontStakes promotedtopresident and inherited Belair. winnerin1939,and , named U.S. WoodwardSr.,anavidhorseenthusiast horse of the year in 1955 afterwinningthe since childhood, nowhad astable to go Preakness andthe Belmont Stakes and along with his dream of owningand racing finishing second in the KentuckyDerby. thoroughbred horses. Nashua’sshoes from theBelmont Stakes Woodward’sfirst major purchaseafter and the Belmont Futurityare also on view taking control of Belair wasthe stallion, Sir at the museum. Gallahad III, which he and threeother Other features include the stable mas- business partners purchased in 1925 for ter’s living quarters from 1923.Approxi- $125,000. mately 80 percent of the items within are Gallahad, aFrenchthoroughbred race- original. horse went on to top the general sirelistin "It’sfun to compare[thestable master’s 1930,1933,1934,and 1940,and sired 60 stake quarters] and... the luxurythat wasexperi- winners,nineofwhich were bred by enced in the BelairMansioninthe 18th, Woodward. 19th,and 20th centuries,"Williams said. One of thosenine wasGallant Fox, the The mansion, which,accordingtothe first of Woodward’shorses to win the cityofBowie,interpretsthe lives of Triple Crownin1930. residents from 1747-1950 containsfamily Gueststothe museum can visit Wood- silver, atablemade by Annapolis craftsman ward’s originalstables whichhouseahorse COURTESY PHOTO John Shaw, privately-issuedprints of stall dedicatedtoGallant Fox. William Woodward’sBelair Stud, nowamuseum, wasthe home of twoTriple Crownwin- severalBelairracehorses,and much more. An original plaquemounted within, lists ners,and countless other notable horsesinracing history.The museum is open Tuesday- The Stable museumislocated at 2835 his victoriesand winnings of $340,415, Sundayfrom12p.m.-4 p.m. BelairDrive,Bowie,Maryland and is open which, accordingtothe museum, at the to visitorsTuesday-Sunday,fromnoonto4 time,made him "the biggestwinner of all Woodward’sfavoriteofall the hundreds of second-generation TripleCrown champi- p.m. timeinthe world," in . horses that he owned," she said. "The story on, when his son, and Belairhorse , The mansion, which is alsoopen for Pamela Williams,the Historic Properties is that Mr.Woodward hadthis statue wonthe title in 1935. tours,isonly ablockaway at 12207 Tulip Managerfor theCityofBowie,said thata struck andtook [it]withhim sometimes The horses representing Belair Stud Grove Drive, Bowie. small bronze statue of Gallant Fox, com- when he went places." were instantlyrecognizable for the white Formoreinformation, visithttps:// missioned by Woodwardcan also be After the 1930 season, Gallant Foxwas and red-spotted silks their jockeys wore. www.cityofbowie.org/289/Belair-Stable- viewedinthe stall. retiredtostud. He becamethe firstand Many of theoriginals can be seen in the Museum. "GallantFox wasarguably William onlyU.S.TripleCrown winner to sirea racing library at the stable.

SUN FILE PHOTO/CHECK WITH BALTIMORE SUN PHOTO Gallant Foxwinsthe 1930 Preakness Stakes againstlatechallengeCrack Brigade. Gallant Foxwould go on to become the second horse ever to win the Triple Crownin1930.